EAL (English as an additional language) is one of several terms used to describe people whose first language is not English.  There is also English as a second language (ESL) and ELL (English language learners).  There is debate about which one to use, but for a school where the majority of children speak English in school and a different language at home then ESL is usually appropriate.

ESL alone is not a learning difficulty.  Children immersed in an English speaking school from a young age will typically develop good English language skills.  However, their vocabulary and grammar will only reach higher levels of complexity by speaking English through the school day and regular age-appropriate reading.  Older students who have never spoken English will have more difficulty due to the complexity of English already being spoken in their classes.

When a student has a specific learning difficult such as dyslexia, it becomes more of a challenge for him/her to persist with the essential literacy skills and develop complex language skills.  This has a knock-on effect to the rest of their curriculum, as he/she struggles to process spoken and written language, and has a lower vocabulary than peers.

Wakefield Inclusion and Special Educational Needs Support Service @ the Local Authority have an EAL team who support school via a referral system.

The table below shows UK based descriptors of levels of competency for students who do not speak English as their first language.  Think about students you work with who struggle with any of the four aspects  - listening and understanding, speaking, reading, and writing.  What level of competence do you think they are at?